


The Coffee

by XWingKC



Series: Sam and Jack Shorts [15]
Category: Stargate SG-1
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-19
Updated: 2020-06-19
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:54:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24808840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XWingKC/pseuds/XWingKC
Relationships: Samantha "Sam" Carter/Jack O'Neill
Series: Sam and Jack Shorts [15]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1677553
Comments: 12
Kudos: 43





	The Coffee

She sat in the corner of the little mom and pop coffee shop, you know, the one with the real vanilla for the lattes instead of the chemical-laced ones. She found this place years ago after the hard mission on Simarka. She comes here to unwind and relax. However, after this mission, it may be never for her to relax and unwind.

She didn’t see it. She wasn’t there when it happened. She had been on a completely different side of the battle. Daniel saw it. He got it all on tape. Or so she heard. She still can’t watch the documentary.

The memorial was the last time she seemed to be able to hold it together. But she did it for her. She did it for her best friend. Cassie had to go live with someone else now. That was just another thing torn from her heart. 

She had a book open, but her eyes were only staring at the pages, her mind a million miles away, literally. She wondered if she could have done something to change this. She wondered if it had been her on that side, not Daniel, if things would be different. 

She heard a noise and looked down at the book. A single tear had fallen onto the page. She wiped her eyes that now were being filled with more liquid than she cared for in public. She took a sip of her real vanilla latte and tried to swallow down the fear, anger, and sadness that threatened to kidnap her.

She turned her eyes back to the book. She could hear noises around her, but didn’t take time to figure out where they were coming from. The coffee shop did get busy just before dinner. She didn’t have to look at her watch or phone to tell her it must be just before dinner.

She felt a presence behind her, and didn’t have to turn to know who it was. He sat down across from her. She didn’t look up at him, and kept her eyes in the book. She knew if she looked that she would fall apart, and he knew how much she hated public displays of what she calls weakness.

She pointed to her coffee cup. He took the cup in his hand and took a sip. And as they have silently for the past two weeks, they finished the cup. When the cup was empty, they sat for another 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, she got up to leave. She grabbed her purse without looking at him.

As they had for the past two weeks, he followed her to her car. She unlocked her car and put her purse inside. She turned to him and she fell apart in his arms, careful to not agitate his wound that was still healing.

He let her cry on him for another 15 minutes. She could feel his chest hitching with choked breath, knowing this is hard on him, too. When the 15 minutes were up, she pulled back and wiped her eyes.

After the coffee and the cry, she had the courage to look up at him.

“See you tomorrow, sir?” she asked him. He tried to smile at her. He almost made it.

“Of course, Sam, of course.”

“I’m really glad you are OK,” she said to him, looking at him with glassy eyes that were ready to spill over once again.

“We’ll be OK, Carter. Eventually,” he said, reaching out to touch her shoulder. 

She didn’t speak of the fears of losing him, or Teal’c, or Daniel. She didn’t speak of how hard this is becoming for her not to stay in his arms all night long. She didn’t tell him of her deep fear of watching him fall on the battlefield, thinking he was dead. She dared not tell him how much she loves him. 

She just looked up at him and put her hand on his hand that was on her shoulder. He looked back at her with his deep, dark eyes. She saw something flash between them. Then he smiled at her. A real smile. Finally.

“I know,” is all he said. She smiled at him. A real smile. Finally.

They both got in their cars to go home. Both of them knowing that somehow through all this pain, they had each other. They will be OK. Eventually.


End file.
